There are a number of reasons why you would want to make or use gluten-free stuffing for your next turkey or thanksgiving dinner. More and more people are becoming aware of gluten intolerances, and perhaps your next guest or family member may be gluten intolerant.
While gluten-free may be a bit of a hurdle when creating your dinner, you can easily make or buy gluten-free stuffing making it safe and enjoyable for all your guests to eat, without compromising any flavor.
Why Would Someone Need Gluten-Free Stuffing?
The most common reason for someone to require gluten-free stuffing would be a medical reason that restricts or forbids the person from consuming any food item with gluten in it.
These common diseases and/or disorders include celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and dermatitis herpetiformis.
Another common reason for people requiring gluten-free stuffing would be because of a dietary preference, where there are no medical reasons for the person not to consume gluten, but simply because of the choice to exclude or limit it from their diet.
Common Ingredients in Gluten-Free Stuffing
While these common ingredients are usually gluten-free, if you have gluten intolerance you should always check the label since, in some dried herbs, spices, powdered stock, and sauces, there are some ingredients with gluten in them.
The most common gluten fee ingredients in stuffing are:
- toasted gluten-free bread, such as cornbread
- onion
- celery
- eggs
- herbs
- chicken stock
It is always better if you or your guests have a severe allergic reaction to gluten, to make these ingredients from scratch, where you can, or to buy a certified gluten-free mix from the store to avoid any issues.
Tips for Making Gluten-Free Stuffing at Home
When making your own gluten-free stuffing at home, it is crucial that you check every ingredient you use for gluten-containing ingredients that you might not think may be present.
Otherwise, you should try and make every ingredient from scratch and use fresh herbs where you can.
Ingredients that may contain gluten you might not have thought of :
- Dried herbs and spices
- Pre-mixed seasoning
- Dried stocks, soups, and sauces
- Soy sauce – use tamari instead
- Pickles made with malt vinegar
- Powdered drinks
- Salad dressings or sauces
How to Make Gluten-Free Stuffing From Scratch
Making stuffing that is free of gluten completely from scratch means you would have to bake gluten-free bread. So prepare yourself and the following ingredients for a delicious gluten-free side.
Ingredients
- 12-18oz gluten-free homemade bread
- ¾ cup butter (or dairy-free butter)
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 sticks of celery, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups gluten-free chicken or veggie broth (3 cups for a wetter stuffing) – leave out if stuffing meats.
Step 1. Make your gluten-free bread in advance
Make your gluten-free bread by either following a corn-bread recipe or another gluten-free bread recipe. A gluten-free bread mix might be easiest to use, so keep that as an option. You could even make it a day or two in advance.
Slice the bread up and let it dry for a minimum of 2 hours before you start your stuffing
Step 2. Start the Stuffing
Add your celery, onion, and butter into a dutch oven, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.
Step 3. Add Seasonings
Once the onions and celery are done, add the thyme, sage, and rosemary along with your salt and pepper. Then, add more seasoning if you’d like
Step 4. Add the Bread and Broth
Slice or break the bread into cubes and add into the mix, and mix until well coated. Follow with broth if you’re serving this as a side dish. If you are stuffing a turkey, leave out the broth, the juices from the meat will ensure it is moist enough.
Step 5. Bake and Enjoy
Bake in a greased casserole dish at 350°F (180°C) for about 35-45 minutes. If you don’t want to finish this stuffing in the oven, you can easily finish it on the stove over medium heat for 3- 5 minutes before stuffing your meat.
14 Gluten-Free Stuffing Recipe Ideas
1. Easy Cornbread Stuffing
Lemons For Lulu has a great recipe with a twist on traditional cornbread stuffing, they recommend using store-bought cornbread to save time, but just be sure to check the ingredients, else make it at home. Ask your butcher if there is gluten in the chorizo to be safe.
2. Vegan and Gluten-Free Stuffing
If you’re catering to both vegans and gluten-intolerant guests, you can cater to both with this simple recipe from All Recipes. Just make sure the veggie broth is home-made or gluten-free when store-bought.
3. Keto Gluten-Free Stuffing
Most stuffings, whether gluten-free or not, are made with some sort of bread, which still has high carbs and is a big no-no for any Keto dieter. This recipe by This Mom’s Menu shows you how to make keto-friendly bread that is also gluten-free to use in their stuffing recipe.
4. Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Stuffing
Mama Knows Gluten-Free has a great recipe for stuffing as a side or as part of the main in any holiday meal. The recipe is also dairy-free, so if dairy was a concern, this recipe makes it easier for you.
5. Japanese Gluten-Free Milk Bread Stuffing
If you have some Japanese milk bread, then this recipe by Gluten-Free On A Shoestring is a great and easy option for you to try. It is made in under 20 minutes and enjoyed within 2 hours from start.
6. Gluten-Free Sage and Onion Stuffing Balls
If you serve your stuffing as a side, why not try your hand at this easy recipe by Free e Foods. It is made in under 35 minutes in total, which is perfect considering you might have to work on other side dishes for your holiday meal, saving you some time.
7. DIY Gluten-Free Stuffing Mix
When prepping for the holidays, it might be worth your while to try this recipe by Fearless Dining. You’re making the mix for the stuffing only, which might save you some time when the big cooking day arrives, or to give to a friend as a holiday gift.
8. Gluten-Free and Vegan Wild Rice Stuffing
Not a fan of bread? Try out this recipe instead! It combines some tasty wild rice, dried cranberries, and pecans, perfect for any holiday recipe.
It is also vegan which is great if you’re serving this to a bigger audience, the author at Where You Get Your Protein shows you how to make this in an instant pot or on the stove.
9. Instant Pot Gluten-Free Sausage Stuffing
If you need to work on some other side dishes, then the instant pot takes the monitoring out of your cooking, leaving you with some spare time to focus on other dishes.
This recipe by Clean Eating Kitchen shows you how to use the instant pot to make some delicious gluten-free stuffing.
10. Pepperidge Cornbread Stuffing Dupe
If you love pepperidge cornbread stuffing, but can’t serve it because its not gluten-free, then this recipe by Kaity Cookson will save the day. Just as delicious as the original box mix, but gluten-free.
11. Gluten-Free Stuffing Cups
If you want to portion out your side of stuffing easily, why not try this version of the classic gluten-free recipe by Eat at Our Table that makes it easy by making little cups of stuffing. Easy and convenient, this is a definite winning recipe.
12. Sticky Rice Stuffing
The original recipe by Woks of Life is not made gluten-free, but they give the exact steps to make it gluten-free if you’d like. It is a slightly more Asian approach to stuffing and a great idea if you’re bored with the classic type of stuffing recipe.
13. Easy Gluten-Free Stuffing
This recipe is also bread-free but doesn’t replace the bread with grains or wheat flour, but instead utilizes some healthy almond flour instead. MommyPotamus shows you how to make it under an hour.
14. Paleo Gluten-Free Stuffing
If you need a healthy, gluten-free, grain-free recipe for a stuffing then this recipe by 40 Aprons is the only recipe you need for your holiday table. It pairs exceptionally well with roast chicken.
Easy Gluten-Free Stuffing Recipe
This recipe is great for stuffing your meats or serving as a side, it utilizes some pre-made gluten-free bread so get your favorite and try out this easy gluten-free stuffing recipe.
If you don’t like the hardier herbs used in this recipe, they can easily be replaced with what you love and know, such as marjoram or parsley
Ingredients
- Olive oil for frying
- 2 onions
- a few sprigs of fresh sage
- a splash of cider (optional)
- 4 parsnips
- 2 apples
- 8 gluten-free sausages
- 200g gluten-free bread
- 1 large free-range egg
- 1 lemon
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 ºC and oil a baking dish, preferably 20cm in diameter.
- Peel and chop the onions, apples, and parsnips and also pick off the leaves of the sage or herb you’re using. The parsnips and apples can be cut into 1 cm chunks.
- Cook the onions over medium heat in a pan with olive oil until softened, not colored.
- Add a splash of cider and the parsnips to the onion mix and shred in the sage or herbs.
- Then add a pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Next, add the lid and leave the parsnips to cook for 10 minutes to soften, before adding the apples for a few minutes
- Remove the mixture from the heat and transfer it to a clean bowl.
- Squeeze out the sausages from their casings into the mix, and zest one lemon into the mix.
- Blitz the bread in a food processor into crumbs and add to the mix.
- Spoon the mixture into the baking tray and cover with foil. Cook for 45 minutes before removing the foil, and cook for another 15 minutes uncovered to brown the top.
- Serve and enjoy.
FAQ
Is Pepperidge Farm Stuffing Gluten-Free?
Even though the classic stuffing mentions cornbread, the first ingredient on the list of ingredients is enriched wheat flour, alongside malted barley flour as another ingredient. This unfortunately makes it not a gluten-free stuffing to use.
Is There Gluten in Stove Top Stuffing?
Yes, Stove Top’s stuffing does contain enriched wheat flour amongst its ingredients, eliminating it as a gluten-free stuffing.
What Bread Is Good for Gluten-Free Stuffing?
The most common bread that is gluten-free is cornbread, however, be careful when buying store-bought cornbread to use, or even cornbread stuffing, as some manufacturers do add wheat flour, or other non-gluten-free flours in their mix, making it not gluten-free.
Where Can I Buy Gluten-Free Stuffing Mix?
As with any diet that requires a specific exclusion, the best place to buy stuffing that doesn’t have any gluten would be online. Many small businesses have great gluten-free mixes for sale on their websites.
Alternatively, Trader Joe’s has a house brand stuffing mix labeled gluten-free if you need your hand’s on a mix immediately.
Conclusion
Gluten-free stuffing does not mean it is a flavor-free stuffing, there are lots of wonderful and easy recipes to make your next stuffing safe, flavorful, and gluten-free at your next dinner.
If you are serving stuffed turkey or other meals to a large group of people, it is always better to be safe than sorry and make it gluten-free. It might be easier to digest by all your guests and who doesn’t love it when everyone is able to enjoy your homemade food.
